Historic defeat for hosts as Ecuador win opening game

DOHA, Qatar (AP):

The first World Cup in the Middle East finally began yesterday with a flashy opening ceremony and a match between Qatar and Ecuador without any beer for sale in the stadium.

The beer ban imposed two days before the start of the tournament was the latest controversial snag for a global event already under scrutiny for Qatar’s human rights record and the emirates’ push to ready the nation for the most compact World Cup in history.

And as Qatar were dropping their opening match 2-0 to Ecuador, the fan zone in central Doha became a chaotic scene as tens of thousands of fans were pushed against police lines to enter the venue. Fans were trying to access the enclosed area that contained big screens for viewing matches and buy beer.

Qatar is home to three million people, most of them migrant workers, and has spent more than US$200 billion for improvements across the energy-rich country that is roughly the same size as the state of Connecticut or the island of Jamaica. Among the additions are seven new purpose-built venues, including the 60,000-seat Al Bayt Stadium that hosted yesterday’s opening ceremony and first match.

OPENING GAME

Qatar became the first host country to lose its opening game in 92 years of World Cup history. They are on the global stage for the first time as host nation, but they couldn’t stop Ecuador captain Enner Valencia, who scored both goals in the first half.

SHOW ME THE MONEY

Awarding the World Cup to Qatar has been a financial boon to FIFA as the governing body of football said it earned record revenues of US$7.5 billion in the four years of commercial deals tied to this year’s tournament.

The money haul is US$1 billion more than income from the previous commercial cycle of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The extra money this year was boosted by local sponsorship deals, including Qatar Energy, which joined as a top-tier sponsor. Qatari bank QNB and telecoms firm Ooredoo are also sponsors.

New to the sponsorship packages this year is crypto.com, the first new American sponsor in more than a decade.

WHAT’S NEXT

The United States return to the World Cup after missing the 2018 tournament in Russia and open play today against Gareth Bale-led Wales.

The United States have one of the youngest squads in the 32-team tournament. Three of the Americans – Gio Reyna, Joe Scally, and Yusuf Musah – were only 11 years old the last time the national team played a World Cup match.

OTHER GAMES

The first full day of competition also includes a Group B match between heavily-favoured England against Iran at Khalifa International Stadium and the Netherlands against Senegal at Al Thumama Stadium in Group A.

England are one of the favourites and were semi-finalists four years ago in Russia, plus runners-up at last year’s European Championship.

ONE LOVE

Eight of the 13 team captains from European nations planned to wear “One Love” armbands promoting inclusivity and LGBTQ rights in Qatar, where same-sex relationships are outlawed.

Among those who had committed to the armbands are Bale and England striker Harry Kane.

But FIFA equipment rules prohibit such armbands. Tournament rules require “match staff must wear official clothing and equipment provided by FIFA, including FIFA event badges specified and provided by FIFA”.

If the armbands are deemed inappropriate, players wearing them could be fined or shown yellow cards.